What I always forget about Edinburgh until I am here is that you spend the entire day, every day on your feet: walking to find a show, walking to flyer, walking to meet up with people. It’s a whirlwind of socialising and fun!

I’m exhausted

I take my girlfriend to see Nick Helm’s show (told you I’d go again) and that cheers me right up. I am motivated to the point that I actually do some proper flyering in Bristo Square.

Flyering is most important. As a performer, you are here to flyer first and perform second. I even have my patter all sorted out now. It goes like this. I hold out a flyer and I mutter:

“Comedy?”

That’s it. Not “Free comedy?” because that sounds a bit pathetic. Ideally you need to have a bit of a chat to the people you are flyering and charm them into coming into your show. Which is lovely when you get to it. But I am socially awkward at the best of times so am limiting myself to:

“Comedy?”

As I woo the passers-by with my pieces of paper and my word, I realise there is a stand-up comedian supergroup forming in front of me by The Gilded Balloon. There’s Kitson. And David O’Doherty. The two of them are chatting away. And then another guy who I don’t quite… it’s Brendon Burns! And there’s Josie Long! Slowly an idea forms in my mind.

Should I flyer them?

I have a grandiose image of my head of Kitson coming to the show, shaking me by the hand and asking me to be his support act, because I am brilliant.

Then I have a terrifying image in my head of trying to do stand-up with Kitson’s face looming out at me from the dark, a genius in the shadows, looking at a bug.

I don’t flyer them. I go away very quickly, hiding the flyers in my pocket.

The show itself was pretty cool. We have just under 30 people in. Karel Hutter is our guest compere today. Heap is on first, stoking up the gag quotient. Perry follows, mumbling affably, and everyone seems to likes him. I am a bit tired and try to compensate by shouting. If there’s one golden rule I’ve learnt whist doing comedy it’s this:

If in doubt, shout.

Afterwards, Heap and I meet Kerry at the Pleasance Courtyard to watch Emo Phillips who is very good.

Then we go on to the Complexity of Nonsense; Aiden, Jaq and Sam’s show at the Argyle, at which Kerry is doing an open spot. It is a bit of a long march to the venue but the show is bloody good fun.

Exhaustion is catching up at me at this point. I go home to sleep. After all, I’ve been on my feet all day. Performing at Edinburgh is fun but it also means carrying a heavy burden.

Well, alright. Some flyers.